‘Plants Near Me’ campaign helps British growers connect with the public

DIDCOT, UK: Following on from the HTA campaign to highlight the financial plight of ornamental horticulture growers during the coronavirus shutdown, the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) in the UK has been inundated with messages from the public wanting to support the industry.

To help connect growers with the public, the HTA  has launched the ‘Plants Near Me’ webpage – plantsnearme.hta.org.uk, allowing the public to find local growers and garden centres that are offering home delivery.

Gardening has many benefits for your health and wellbeing. These include providing exercise and staying active, relieving stress, grounding and connecting with nature, satisfying creativity and learning new skills, enjoying and sharing your garden with family, and feeding your mind, body and soul. During this uncertain and scary time, gardening is the perfect escape.

Since its launch in the first week of April,  almost 450 horticultural businesses have signed up to the scheme.

HTA President, Boyd Douglas-Davies, said of the scheme, “Following on from the media coverage of the plight of growers and garden retailers it has been encouraging to hear the messages of support from the general public. There is pent up demand for plants and the launch of  ‘Plants Near Me’  provides some way of enabling the gardening public to access plants available to them from local suppliers.

“Whilst this initiative helps in the short term with getting plants to people, it is vitally important that garden centres reopen as soon as lockdown restrictions ease to support the British horticulture sector and to get people gardening at this unprecedented time.”